


Unexpected Consequences

by HyperKid



Series: Fluff Your Firbolgs You Fucking Cowards [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Bugs, Caduceus Clay musings, Caduceus and Beau’s Undercut Society, Fluff, Gen, Multi, adventures at the Lavish Chateau, bath scene, gratuitous group nudity, so many bugs, the dangers of salty firbolg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:27:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25812778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: Caduceus Clay has had a lot of new experiences since leaving the Blooming Grove. His first encounter with the sea was lovely, but has left him with a crust of salt in his fur. Luckily Jester has a plan to help.
Relationships: Beau & Caduceus & Jester, cleric bonding, hint of Caduceus Clay/Jester Lavorre
Series: Fluff Your Firbolgs You Fucking Cowards [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872814
Comments: 26
Kudos: 122





	Unexpected Consequences

**Author's Note:**

> HK: So I started this.... waaaaay back in the Avantika arc? To answer a couple questions.   
> Mollymauk: The undercut question?   
> HK: The undercut question! So many of the Nein have fabulous undercuts by level 10, they must maintain them.   
> Mollymauk: Y’know some people use knives?   
> HK: Only because they lack the better option! And of course the second question, how did Caduceus not get matted to shit with all that fur in the ocean.   
> Mollymauk: You think about the strangest things.   
> HK: Fully intentionally. And hey, for no adequately explored reason, y’all ever seen what happens if you blow dry a cow? Cuz you’re gonna find out. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! It’s bath time so everyone is naked just the whole time 
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one but I WILL take any excuse to blow dry a firbolg

The sea was definitely strange, Caduceus decided as they left the beach, salt water drying in his fur. There was sand stuck between his toes, but Fjord had assured him they’d all wash up once they reached their lodgings for the evening. He was beginning to look forward to that. He hadn’t exactly expected to need to; they’d just been in the water, after all. 

But as it dried it left a coarse, salty layer across his hair, and on a firbolg that was a lot more noticeable than on most. It wasn’t anything that could be seen as much a general feeling across his skin. 

Beau seemed to be noticing something similar, rubbing the back of her neck and running her hand through her undercut. She hadn’t been in the water much but they’d all wound up splashing about but Nott. 

A slight smile stole across Caduceus’ face at the memory. It had been... new. So new for everyone, even Jester he quietly suspected. Only Fjord seemed comfortable and at home in the waves, splashing around and identifying shellfish Jester and Nott had found. 

He didn’t pay much attention to their journey to the gates and into Nicodranas. Oh, he watched out in an idle way, keeping an eye out for interesting things on the road. It was easy to catch his eye. 

But his mind drifted like the waves, back to an expanse of blue and green and grey stretching beyond the horizon. The world was so... big. Bigger than he’d ever imagined in the Blooming Grove. He wondered if that should scare him. 

But there was so much to learn and do, there wasn’t time to be afraid. 

Jester’s mother’s home in the Lavish Chateau was living up to its name. They even had a bed large enough for him to use, and the sheets were silky soft. He didn’t want to sit on them yet, still grimy from the road. He didn’t have a lot of possessions to settle but he was enjoying exploring the collection of binds and cuffs in the closet when a knock at the door caught his attention. 

Beau and Jester were standing in the doorway, the tiefling grinning broadly as always, the human doing her best aloof face. 

“Can I help you?” Caduceus asked, tilting his head to the side with a small smile. 

“Beau didn’t believe we had a bed your size,” Jester told him bluntly. Beau rolled her eyes, but was leaning around Caduceus’ skinny frame. 

“Jess wanted to ask if you wanted to come wash up,” she countered, digging an elbow into her friend’s side. 

“So we figured we could do both!” Jester agreed cheerfully. “We have a really good bath room downstairs, and we can help you get your back?” 

It took a moment for Caduceus to parse the “we”s in that statement, which referred to Jester and her mother and which was Jester and Beau. He couldn’t be entirely sure the last wasn’t all three of them. Either way, he figured he’d find out. 

“That would be nice, thank you,” he agreed, turning back to his bag and pausing. “I don’t suppose you have extra soap?” It would seem reasonable, given the presence of the bath room, and he’d like to preserve his own for the road if it was an option. 

Jester nodded happily, reaching out a hand to tug him from the room. 

“Yeah! But get your brushes. Mama said the salt water would probably make your fur all matted so we should get you all brushed out when we wash you.” 

Caduceus frowned down at his fur again, rubbing two fingers together and feeling a crusty crunch. 

“That would be nice, yeah. Thank you, Miss Jester.” 

The young tiefling beamed up at him and paused in the doorway, all but bouncing on her toes. Beau shot her a look that was all exasperated fondness, her hand rising to her own hair. 

“Give him a moment to breathe, Jess. The bath isn’t going anywhere.” 

“I don’t mind,” Caduceus told her with a fond smile, taking a set of wooden brushes from his bag. He paused, giving Beau a thoughtful look. “We could also fix up your undercut, if you would like?” 

Beau’s hand flew to the back of her head, the hair there just long enough to run her fingers through. She hesitated a moment then nodded, her gaze flicking to Caduceus’ undercut. A slight frown tugged at her lips. 

“Do you do yours yourself?” It wasn’t something she’d ever been any good at, especially not with her lack of attention to knives. Caduceus shrugged happily and picked up his staff. 

“After a fashion, I suppose.” He turned back to the door and smiled, gesturing with his staff. “Shall we?” 

Beau watched the staff with undisguised skepticism, stepping back out of the room. 

“I have this really really strong feeling I should be asking more questions than I am.” 

“Ask them later!” Jester giggled, looping an arm through each of her companions’ and pulling them down the hall, “I want you guys to see this!” 

Her enthusiasm was infectious, pulling a smile from Caduceus and Beau as they followed her through the chateau. Neither was quite prepared for the sight that greeted them. The bath house was on the first floor, a series of rooms each separated from the others, but all with an overarching theme of the sea. 

The walls were a soft blue, with sprays of bright sea flowers painted onto smooth, rolling dunes along the base. A table at one side of the little room held a basket of tasteful shells and another of scented soaps and oils. The bath itself was set into the floor, lined in shimmering sea glass tiles in blues and greens with a slight rim to keep the water from spilling over. It was already filled with steaming hot water. 

Beau raised an eyebrow, impressed. 

“Are they always filled?” She wandered into the room, crouching down to dip a hand into the water and sighing happily at the heat. Jester shrugged, already tossing her cloak in a corner and toeing off her boots. 

“Not really, the water gets changed out every time they’re used but I asked when we got here, so they filled it up fresh for us! We should probably tell the others really,” she mused suddenly, stilling and tapping at her lower lip. 

Beau glanced around the room again, imagined it with the other four, and made a face. 

“We can let ‘em know after we’re done, I don’t wanna take up all of the rooms,” she pointed out, nodding back towards the hall, “it seems like a pretty popular spot.” 

Jester brightened and nodded, shucking out of her dress and tossing it aside. 

“That’s true! And they can fill it up again super easily. Come on, let’s get cleaned up and then we can do your hair!” 

Beau pulled a double take, staring as Jester hopped happily into the water. She was ~sure~ Jester had had her armour and leggings on, but... yeah, they were definitely gone now. 

“When the fuck... whatever,” she sighed, dismissing it almost immediately and kicking off her own boots. It just wasn’t worth asking Jester how she got naked so quickly; the answer was always predictable, and never explained anything. 

Caduceus had been calmly working his way through his own layers of clothing while the women talked, folding each item neatly and setting it aside. 

Way aside. 

Almost out of the room entirely. 

The reason was almost immediately obvious as Jester hopped into the water, sending a splash across the floor. Pleased to be right, he followed more carefully and sunk into the hot water with a satisfied sigh. 

“Oh, this is very nice...” 

Already wet from head to toe, Jester began scrubbing soap into her hair and grinned at him. 

“Right? We should definitely do this like, way more often. Every time we get to a new town!” 

“A town with a bath,” Beau noted, shoving her own, much less neat pile of clothes next to Caduceus’ and stepping gingerly into the water. 

“All towns should have a bath,” Jester sighed, pointing with her elbow to a shallow, shell shaped bowl filled with different soaps. 

Rifling through, Beau ended up grabbing one at random and raised it in a toast, passing the bowl off to Caduceus. 

“Not arguin’.” 

The firbolg paused, already sunk to his knees and rubbing the water into his fur. 

“These are a lot...” 

“They’re really good!” Jester must have been going for some kind of speed record, rising from dunking her head to rinse her hair and leaning over Caduceus’ shoulder. “This one smells like roses, and that one is lilac, and these over here are all fruit smells.” 

Each little soap was jewel bright in colour, shaped like the different shells from the beach. A little overwhelmed by the mix of scents, Caduceus moved the bowl away and took one of the smaller, bright yellow soaps to sniff. 

It smelled of lemons and sunshine, bright, faintly sweet, and powerful. Not exactly his usual, but hey. He was out in the world to try new things. And then he moved his hand away and realised how heckin’ tiny the thing was in his palm. 

Jester seemed to notice at the same time, her nose scrunching as she frowned. 

“Yeeeeeah... we’re probably gonna need to use all of them on you, huh?” 

For some reason this idea seemed to be bothering her, and Caduceus paused. 

“I have some soap of my own in my bag?” He offered, wondering if it’d be too much. Apparently not because Jester waved that off immediately, grinning and grabbing a double handful of soaps. 

“We might just have to raid the other bath rooms! That’ll be fun, we have like, a zillion different soaps like these! Ooooh we could do different body parts with different smells!” She was straight back to cheerful exuberance and Caduceus couldn’t help smiling along, holding out a hand to take the rest of the soaps. 

“That could be fun. Or we could just take different ones at random and see where we end up.” 

Beau rolled her eyes at the pair of them, utterly unable to hide her broad grin. 

“Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and get clean, I still wanna know how you keep your undercut so good. Not like you had a lotta help.” And for some reason that made Caduceus smile in a decidedly unsettling way. Part of Beau wanted to back up slowly but the tub wasn’t quite that big. 

Hell, the fact that it fit two adults and a firbolg already made it bigger than most private bathing rooms Beau had ever seen. Made sense for where they were though. 

“Oh, I had a lot of help Miss Beau,” Caduceus replied in his slow, calm voice, an undertone of amusement sending another unsettled shiver up Beau’s spine. Before she could question it, Jester had surged from the water, splashing around their little room. 

“You get started, I’ll go grab soaps from the other rooms!” She called happily, entirely devoid of suds and stark naked as she ducked out past their curtain. 

The other two watched her go for a moment, matching smiles pulling at their lips. 

“I can see why you were so set on getting them back,” Caduceus said quietly, seemingly out of the blue. 

Beau’s whole body jerked and she frowned suspiciously at the firbolg. Let it melt back into relaxation. 

“Yeah,” she agreed gruffly, returning to scrubbing her legs. She wasn’t sure how Jester got washed that fucking fast either if she thought about it. The tiefling was just... either speedier than expected, or just good at multitasking while distracting others. 

And honestly, just Jester on her own was enough of a distraction for Beau. Even just sat with her sketchbook Jester exuded life. Vitality. Chaotic energy and almost visible mischief. 

She had never been so... unquestioningly accepted than when she’d first run into Jester and Fjord. Even now she couldn’t help questioning it, wondering when something was going to happen. When something would break. When she’d finally be too fucking weird for them. 

Too weird for Fjord. 

Jester was weirder than Beau could even imagine. 

It was a weird she really didn’t want to try and live without. 

Trying to escape from feels overload, Beau dunked herself underwater and began scrubbing vigorously at her hair. She’d resisted the urge to swim so she didn’t have the crunchy salt crusting every inch of Caduceus, but it had been more than long enough since their last bath in Zadash. Being able to clean up felt good. 

Caduceus watched her for a moment, a slight smile on his large, gentle face. He’d seen a lot of ways that people dealt with overwhelming emotions; though usually more around the end of a life than the messy parts in the middle. It was interesting to watch. 

From the rest of the smaller rooms came the clattering of baskets and tiny soaps, with the occasional happy exclamation from Jester. Clearly the search was going well, so he returned his own attention to the water as well. Being larger than Beau, he had to be a little more careful about not splashing as he wetted his hair and fur, bending a little awkwardly in the water. 

The human monk didn’t seem to notice, focusing most of her attention on her own cleaning. Fair, honestly, since Caduceus had already mentioned he’d probably need help. 

He ~could~ get himself fully washed up on his own. But given the way the salt clung to every strand of fur he had the nasty feeling that it could take hours to scrub out. Having a couple extra willing hands would only help, and he’d be more than happy to repay the favour to Beau with a little trim. 

He was just scrubbing the lemon soap into one of his forearms, making a face at how hard it had to be to shift the salt, when Jester ducked back in, her arms filled with tiny bars. 

“I got ‘em!” She called happily, letting about half spill out into the shell bowl. They mounded on top, a few scattering across the floor, and she pouted. “Maybe I shoulda grabbed another bowl.”

About done with her own ablutions, Beau made her way to the edge of the tub. 

“I can grab the one from next door?” She offered, trying not to gawk at the sheer number of sizes and colours in Jester’s arms. 

The combined smell was... something. Fruity, floral, vaguely spicy, but altogether too many different notes in combination to pick out something specific. The tiefling behind them all nodded happily and grinned, her tail wrapping around the fallen soaps to scoop them back up. 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Grab a handful, Caduceus! We’ll be able to help in a moment.” 

As Beau hurried out Caduceus considered the wisdom of Jester’s words. The individual soaps were... reasonably sized, in Beau or Jester’s hands? But laughably small in his. For a moment he glanced at the pile in Jester’s arms, wondering about relieving her of a little more of her burden. But the way she was holding them... he wasn’t really sure how to get a handful that didn’t include blue boob. 

Instead he grabbed at random from the pile in the bowl, probably taking another eight little soaps to scrub along his arm. The salt was finally beginning to shift, which was something of a relief. 

As she watched him, bouncing just a little in place (she was never still, Clarabelle was the same), she stiffened abruptly. Little bounces shifted to a tiny jolt of excitement, her tail coiling eagerly around itself. It was a little distracting and Caduceus couldn’t help staring for just a moment before her words drew his gaze to her face. 

“Ooooooh, Caduceus, I just had a reeeeeally good idea! Mama has this special enchanted fan that she uses to dry her hair really fast and make it all soft and stuff, I bet she’d let us use it on you! That way you’re not gonna be all musty and damp all night!” 

It certainly sounded good to Caduceus and he paused his scrubbing to consider. 

“How does it work?” He asked, fingers trailing absently along wet fur. That was something he hadn’t really considered about the others; their smooth skin just didn’t have the same water retention. Caleb and Fjord must have dried off before even redressing, whereas he’d towelled himself quickly but remained just a little damp even with the hot sun as they got on the road. 

Hell, there were spots on his back that hadn’t felt fully dry before getting into the bath. 

Jester shrugged happily, dumping the rest of her burden into the bowl that Beau offered, the human climbing back into the water and shooting the pair a quizzical look. 

“I dunno really, I just know it’s magic and it shoots hot air. It feels reeeally good in your hair and on your skin!” Jester chirped, already turning to head out the doorway again. 

“Magic fan,” Caduceus explained to Beau as she left, getting back to seriously scrubbing his arm. Still the same one. 

Beau looked nonplussed for a moment longer, then shrugged and made her way over. 

“I can get started on your back while we wait?” She offered, glancing down at the already somewhat murky water. “Maybe we should switch to another bath...” 

“Are the others full?” Caduceus hadn’t actually checked any of the others, but they seemed to have the place mostly to themselves given Jester’s ransacking. Water wouldn’t stay hot on its own, but there were spells that could be used to heat it if the Chateau left the pools filled. 

Beau grimaced. 

“Right... next door isn’t. We could maybe ask?” 

“This is fine,” Caduceus shook his head, a slight smile on his face as he got back to work. 

He liked Beau. She was blunt, and brusque, and didn’t always think before she said or did things, but usually what she was doing was kind. Not necessarily in a kind way, but she cared about people. 

She reminded him a lot of Calliope, and if held at knifepoint he’d admit Colton too. Calliope’s no nonsense attitude, Colton’s occasional awkwardness. It made her pleasantly familiar amidst all the strangeness of the world beyond the Blooming Grove, and something of a touchstone. 

She was reliable. And no matter how much she’d hate to admit it, she cared. 

As she came closer she took a handful of soaps as well, moving around behind him. For a moment Caduceus just kept going, scrubbing away and vaguely expecting to feel her hands on him at any moment. 

Then she cleared her throat. 

“Uh... this is gonna work best if you sit, Cad. At least until we get to your ass?” She was definitely trying not to snicker, good mood apparently fully restored from her previous embarrassment. 

The firbolg blinked, mildly surprised, then sat obediently on the base of the tub. The water rose to the base of his rib cage, but it also meant Beau was... maybe a head taller standing in the same tub. 

Scowling at the top of his head a moment, the monk gave him a gentle shove. 

“You are way too fuckin’ tall dude.” 

“Or everyone else is too short,” Caduceus teased, dunking his arm to rinse and beginning to scrub again. Beau snorted a laugh and began scrubbing her handful of soaps across the back of his shoulders. 

“Fair,” she conceded, dumping wet hair over his shoulder on the other side to keep out of her way. 

For a while they were able to work in companionable silence... but for Beau’s swearing as she realized just how annoying it was going to be to scrub the salt from his fur. But Caduceus ignored it (and shared the sentiment) and by the time Jester returned triumphantly they had finished his upper back and arms. 

Both turned to the curtain as their tiefling skipped through, now wearing a long, unfamiliar robe and bearing an ornate red box. 

“I got it!” She sung out happily, waving the box high above her head. The robe was white silk, just a hint of gold embroidery catching the light as it was immediately shucked from her shoulders and tossed on the floor. 

Beau snickered and shook her head, scooping up a double handful of water to rinse more suds from Caduceus’ back. 

“Your mom objected to you running around naked?” She guessed and Jester nodded cheerfully as she climbed into the tub.

“She always says I shouldn’t give it away for free.” 

Which was... kind of close enough to what Caduceus’ and Beau’s respective mothers had told them, to varying degrees of efficacy? 

Setting her box on the soaps table, Jester came up behind Beau and wrapped her arms around her waist. 

“How are you doing?” She asked cheerfully, laying a soft kiss to wet brown skin. Beau leaned back into her for just a moment, then straightened, nodding to Caduceus. 

“Not bad. Just his lower back, chest, ass, and legs to go and then we should be done. It’s a bitch getting the salt out of the roots, it’s sorta gone all crusty right on his skin.” 

Jester made a face in sympathy and released Beau, leaning forward to place another kiss on Caduceus’ shoulder. 

“Don’t worry Caduceus, we’ll get you nice and clean!” 

Turning back to face her, Caduceus gave both women a smile. 

“Thank you both for your help. This’d be... quite a pain to deal with on my own. Though at least most of the dirt from the road came off in the sea.” 

“That helps!” Jester chirped an agreement, grabbing her own handful of soap without looking. “It’d be even worse all clumpy with mud and blood and stuff!” 

Caduceus grimaced but nodded, standing and stretching out his back. Beau’s initial scrubbing had felt good, combining with the hot water to soothe aching muscles, but had carried on just long enough to cross the bridge to oversensitive. Getting salt out of the root of his fur involved a fair bit of yanking and a couple hairs pulled right out, floating in the water. 

Maybe another hot bath would be nice, once they were all clean? With some proper clean water of course. 

They’d probably have to change rooms, but it seemed this wasn’t a busy night for the bath house. Possibly because of their presence more than as a coincidence, but Caduceus was okay with that. 

Jester was a little more gentle than Beau with her scrubbing as she got to work on his lower back, massaging her handful of soap until she’d built up a nice lather around his fur. Caduceus hesitated to bend and do his legs, not exactly wanting to moon the other two, but Jester gave him a cheerful slap on the ass. 

“Come on! The sooner we get you finished, the easier this’ll be!” 

The extra time sat in the water certainly seemed to have helped, dissolving more of the salt and loosening the clumps. There was still decidedly a crust along both fur and skin, but it gave a lot more easily than it had on his upper back. Working together, Jester and Beau managed to scrub off the rest of his back and hard to reach areas while he worked on his legs. 

By the time they were done, the bathwater was distinctly grey and Caduceus was happy to step out of it onto the side. A faint layer of undissolved salt and sea muck clumped on the surface and the whole thing looked distinctly unappealing. The smell, though... 

It smelled like an explosion in a flower shop, possibly from a neighbouring candy store. Not bad, certainly, but completely unidentifiable beyond “sweet” and “vaguely floral”. Taking a sniff of his arm, Caduceus was pleased to find it a little less pungent on actual skin and fur. 

Beau was still staring at the water in disgust. 

“We gotta hose Caleb off outside,” she grumbled, edging away from the tub, “the Chateau’ll kick us out if we fuck up all their water.” 

“I dunno,” Jester mused thoughtfully, scooping up her pile of clothing to move closer to the door, “Caleb went in the sea too, I think he’s mostly clean except for the salt. I think it’s Nott that’d be the real problem.” 

Beau and Caduceus each made faces, neither wanting to think about the last time the goblin had bathed. It must have been in Zadash, almost three full weeks ago. Three weeks of travel, road dirt, and whatever the fuck she’d gotten up to in the city since they’d all bathed together, since she certainly hadn’t gone back alone. 

“Nott’s not gonna want to wash,” Beau said hopefully, finally tearing her gaze away from the grimy water. Stifling a giggle, Jester nodded and grabbed a handful of soaps. 

“That’s probably true. So! Do we wanna go pick another of the baths to relax in, and I’ll go tell them we’re done with this one?” She asked brightly, her tail snagging her mother’s robe from the floor again. 

Caduceus hesitated a moment, then grabbed a few more soaps. 

“I think I’d like a quick rinse in some cleaner water,” he agreed, making his way back to his armour. Beau glanced around and shrugged. 

“They’re all pretty much the same as this one, right?” She asked quickly, scooping up her own clothes. Hesitated at the soap. “What are we gonna do with all these...” 

“We could at least redistribute them,” Caduceus offered happily, gripping his clothing through a towel to keep from getting his wet fur all over it. Jester nodded happily and pushed through the curtain, looking around. 

The bath rooms were still completely deserted, though hurried footsteps could be heard faintly in the distance. 

“What about we go to the far end, so no one bothers us while they clean up this bath?” She offered cheerfully, already making her way down the hall. 

Beau hesitated, then hurried after her. There didn’t seem to be much point getting dressed if they were just going to relax. 

“Yeah, okay.” 

“We’ll sort the soaps out while you go tell someone about the water,” Caduceus agreed placidly, following Jester into a new bathing nook and again setting his clothes down carefully far from the tub. Jester dumped hers on top of his with a happy sigh, tugging on her mother’s robe. 

“Okay! I’ll be back really soon!” She declared happily, disappearing once more. 

Beau couldn’t hide a smile even as she groaned dramatically. 

“Do we have to take care of the soaps, Cad? We don’t even know if they use them more than once here.” 

“We didn’t use all of them,” the firbolg pointed out placidly, already on his way back to the disaster they’d already bathed in, “and we should be at least a little help. We’ll need to have this bath filled for us too so we may as well be nice.” 

As expected, Beau grumbled all the way through sorting the soaps into wet and dry, but she did help. A couple of humans and an elf came through with large buckets of steaming hot water as they were sorting them back into the other bathrooms, filling the bath Beau was more than happy to drop the soap to direct them to. 

By the time they’d finished, Jester was back. Tossing off her mother’s robe she skipped into their smaller room, dipping her toes into the water and grinning at the other two. 

“They’re gonna fill up another bath for Caleb and Fjord, so I went and told them to come down too! I figure they can get all cleaned up and then come join us in our bath, or out for dinner. They did say it might be a little while to get the other bath ready.” 

“I guess that makes this a good time to do your undercut, Beau,” Caduceus mused as he twisted his hair up into tight bun, smiling at the monk and reaching for his staff. Beau eyed both warily. 

“I guess... so are you gonna stop being so cryptic now?” She asked cautiously, sinking slowly into the bath. 

Jester grinned, kicking her toes in the water before sliding all the way in. 

“I dunno, I kinda like the cryptic,” she said with a shrug. Caduceus gave them each a smile, then gently tapped his staff on the ground. 

“Come on out, it’s hair maintenance time.” 

Beau recoiled away as the swarm of bugs crawled from the holes in the staff. There were about half as many as there usually were in battle, but in a little room that was more than enough. 

“What the hell Cad! You use BUGS?!” 

Caduceus just smiled pleasantly, completely unperturbed by the ones that had settled all around his head. 

“Sure. They eat the hair down to a nice, manageable length. Much easier than using knives,” he explained happily, lifting the longer part of his hair out of the way for the bugs, settling into the water with the other two. 

Beau still looked decidedly skeptical, but calmed down a little as she watched. None of the bugs seemed to be going near her yet, which did help. It didn’t look remotely comfortable? 

“Doesn’t it feel really fuckin’ weird with all those little legs on you?” She asked skeptically. The beetles were certainly making short work of their task, chewing their way all around the firbolg’s head. 

His hair looked... well, honestly, it looked like he’d just been to a proper barber. The bugs did a really clean, even job, certainly better than Beau had ever managed on her own. Caduceus shrugged happily, still visibly unbothered as the beetles trimmed carefully around his ears. 

“You get used to it. They do a really nice, quick job.” 

That much was certainly true. It had been less than a minute, but already beetles were wandering out of his hair and settling on his shoulders and arms. Not that that was any better for making Beau’s skin crawl. 

“Could you get them to do patterns and designs and stuff?” Jester asked eagerly, sliding to sit beside Caduceus and running her hand through freshly shorn hair. 

The firbolg blinked, surprised by the suggestion, but it definitely bore consideration. He frowned in thought for a moment before a smile slowly spread across his face. 

“I don’t see why they couldn’t,” he decided happily, nodding as the last beetle crawled down out of his hair. He turned his smile on Beau. “Would you like to give it a try?” 

The monk hesitated a moment longer, worrying at her lower lip. They were in a town at the moment... there really was no reason she couldn’t just go out tomorrow and find a barber. 

But they also spent weeks at a time travelling between towns, or in areas too small to have anywhere to get a decent hair cut. She did need a new road alternative. 

Sighing heavily, she threw wet hands into the air, splattering the others with drops of water. 

“Fuck it, fine. It does look kinda cool,” she admitted grudgingly. 

Caduceus gave her that serene smile and nodded to the beetles now crawling along his chest and arms. 

“You’ll need to put the rest of your hair up and out of the way,” he pointed out with a slight smile, tugging the tie from his own hair and passing it over. Beau made a face, twisting her longer hair up into a messy approximation of her usual bun. 

“Right... don’t want them doing my whole head,” she grumbled, shooting a suspicious stare at the beetles. 

“Why don’t we start with one?” He offered, raising a finger with a shining green body balanced on top. Beau grimaced but nodded and leaned in. Seeming to completely understand the situation, the beetle opened its wing case and buzzed through the air. 

Tiny insect feet skittered across the back of her skull and Beau shivered, sticking both hands back under the water to sit on them. She didn’t wanna risk accidentally swatting and killing one of Caduceus’... pets? Friends? Minions? 

Now that was a distracting thought. 

But after a few seconds, she was kinda getting used to it. She was still aware of where the bug was, but it had settled into one spot and seemed to be working. Slowly. 

Sighing, she waved a hand at Caduceus. 

“This is gonna take all night with just one, get them to do me like they did you and get it over with.” 

Jester made a face, pushing back against the wall of the tub. 

“Are you sure, Beau? That looked really... intense. Bugs crawling alllll over your head?” 

But it was too late as Caduceus nodded happily, his own attention turning to the bugs on his shoulders. 

“You heard the lady,” he told them, and the swarm took flight. 

Beau nearly toppled straight underwater resisting the impulse to snatch the oncoming missiles from the air as they flew towards her. She ended up throwing out both arms to stabilize herself against the walls of the tub, grip going white knuckled as dozens of insects settled in her hair. 

Scratchy little feet prickled across her skin as they jostled for position, and all of a sudden she could ~hear~ them munching on her hair as they got to work around her ears. Every muscle in her body tensed into a knot, fighting the urge to run, scream, flail. 

It couldn’t have been more than the two minutes they’d taken to do Caduceus, but it felt more like hours. Beau’s muscles ached with tension, trembling with the suppressed urge to fight or flee. Her shoulders shook just a little as she pressed against the bath tub. 

Caduceus didn’t seem to notice. 

And then just like that, the bugs took flight again, a whirring and buzzing cloud that completely encompassed her head, flying back into Caduceus’ staff. For a long moment Beau stayed frozen, skin crawling. Then she dunked herself straight under water and scrubbed at her head. 

The clerics exchanged looks ranging from mildly puzzled to slightly exasperated. 

Finally splashing to the surface, Beau shook her head vigorously and ran both hands through her hair again. She shot Caduceus a baleful glare. 

“How the hell do you do that all the time?” She grumbled, not quite able to take her hands down. She could still feel scurrying insect feet. 

Bemused, Caduceus just shrugged. 

“You get used to it?” He offered helpfully and Beau groaned. Jester stifled a giggle with her hands. 

“It’s probably better if you don’t go straight from one to all at once,” she pointed out innocently. Beau shot her a look too and she beamed back. “So! Time for a nice relaxing soak, yes?” 

Spreading her arms wide Jester let her hips float up, legs stretching out until her toes brushed Beau’s elbows. Beau swatted at her feet and Jester laughed, snatching her feet back. 

Watching the pair of them, Caduceus had to wonder what they really considered relaxing. He couldn’t imagine either of them managing a peaceful hour of meditation; he’d been privy to Beau’s attempt on the beach. It hadn’t gone well. 

But then... relaxation didn’t have to mean quiet. It could mean just being yourself, in the company of your friends. Not being on guard all the time and letting yourself just be. That seemed like a Jester and Beau kind of relaxation. 

A soft last wash with their remaining soaps was more like a balm after the previous scrubbing, and it felt wonderful to be properly clean. The women must have felt it too, both having their own slow, gentle wash before they all relaxed back into hot, now floral scented water. 

Caduceus found himself smiling as he watched them, remembering long evenings with his family. Things never used to be quiet in the Clay household either. Not with Clarabelle and Colton around. 

Calliope was good at quiet. Good at serene and peaceful, right up until she needed to kick some ass. Sometimes people thought that meant passive. 

Caduceus usually had to heal those people before they left. Calliope Clay didn’t take shit from anyone, for any reason. 

Watching his new friends, he couldn’t help thinking about how they’d get along with his family. Beau and Calliope would probably get on okay, and she’d probably be down for helping him fuck with Colton. 

Jester and Clarabelle would be the kind of combination that lead to hiding under the bed. 

He was still just a little too uncertain to fully join in with their conversation without being asked. Just a little too used to silence and nothing but his own company. All the Mighty Nein seemed so worldly to the boy who’d never left the Blooming Grove. 

Happy, loud and expressive, completely at home in so many, so strange places. It was easier just to keep quiet and watch. 

Part of him longed to join in, though. The part which had hated the silence, the loneliness, every reminder that his home wasn’t home without his family. He wanted to speak up, to join their conversations and have his voice heard, even if he was mainly asking questions. 

No one seemed to mind answering the ones he asked, which was nice. Jester especially was utterly delighted to share anything she knew that he didn’t, thrilled to be the voice of experience. It probably came from how recently she’d had her own trip out into the world. 

Perhaps in another few months he could be like her. So sure of herself, throwing herself headlong into new things and trusting her abilities to bring her out the other side. Trusting her Traveler the way he had to trust the Wildmother. It was a nice thought. 

The bath water cooled around them by the time Fjord and Caleb came down, together apparently as the only way they found out was that they were talking. Jester surged from the water eagerly to greet them, dashing across to the curtain with a wave and pointing them towards the bath which had been filled for them. 

She didn’t bother with clothes, but that didn’t seem to bother anyone. It was the kind of thing you got used to. Apparently friends were allowed to get things for free. 

Beau sighed, sinking back into the water and running a hand through her hair again. She was going to need a mirror, but it did at least feel like the bugs had done a good job. She wasn’t sure if she was pleased about that or not. 

It wasn’t exactly an experience she was eager to repeat. 

Still, the hot water and a quick massage from Jester had gone a long way towards unknotting her muscles, and she almost couldn’t feel little phantom feet any more. Tepid water wasn’t doing much of anything though. Blowing out a huff of air she ran her hands through the water. 

“Think we could get a top up?” She asked Caduceus as Jester bounced back in. 

The firbolg looked thoughtfully at the size of the bath. There were spells for that... none of which he personally had prepared. Caleb seemed a likely person to ask, but... 

“It may be time to get out anyway,” he conceded with a sigh, raising his own arm and letting water drip off his fingers, “I’m going to take a while to dry.” 

About to slip back into the water, Jester perked up, turning and diving for her mother’s box. 

“Oh yeah! We gotta try and use this!” She declared happily, tugging the box open and pulling out a beautifully ornate fan. It looked to be made of silk stretched across a deep red wood, a luxurious dark purple with gorgeous golden spell work inscribed across it. 

Beau and Caduceus leaned closer curiously to see as she flourished it at them. Beau hesitated a moment longer, sighed, and stood, reaching for a towel. The floor was already wet from Jester’s bouncing about, but their clothes were still mostly dry. 

“Yeah okay, I gotta see this,” she decided, rubbing herself down briskly. Caduceus hesitated a moment before following suit. 

A hot bath had been nice, and he was feeling very mellow and relaxed. This was all still a new experience and he was most definitely out of his depth, but so far it was a good one. He was kind of enjoying wondering what else he’d find out about here. 

A cold bath just didn’t hold the same appeal. Jester tossed them each a towel, already half done scrubbing herself dry. Caduceus couldn’t help being a little surprised. 

“Dry off what you can, and then we can brush you and use the fan to get the rest,” she explained cheerfully just before completely losing her head in a happy buffeting towel. 

Well, that made sense. Shrugging philosophically, Caduceus got to work on towelling himself dry, steering clear of Beau as she did the same. The monk was just a little... overenthusiastic. Never enough to topple herself over, which was impressive given the flailing, but decidedly dangerous to be close to. 

Naturally they both finished before he did, and he wondered idly what else in his life might be easier if he was small. He didn’t particularly eat more than them, so that might not change. 

Probably mostly just banging his head off door frames less he decided, glancing at the low door. Humans, tieflings, elves and half orcs all seemed to come to about the same height, and while he could at least stand straight in their buildings, doorways seemed to be a hazard. 

The Chateau was the first building he’d been to in a while where he didn’t have to duck under the lintel. It probably had something to do with Jester’s minotaur friend; those horns would be less forgiving than Caduceus’ skull if he forgot to duck. 

He was shaken from this train of thought when he noticed that Jester was very nearly vibrating at his elbow, clutching the fan tightly. He couldn’t help a slight smile as he turned to her, setting down his towel. 

“Alright... should I brush my fur first, or after?” 

Jester frowned thoughtfully, worrying her lower lip between sharp tiefling teeth. 

“Mama usually brushes her hair while she dries it, to make sure it doesn’t get all tangled and knotty,” she explained, brightening almost at once, “so I think we should do the same here? Your fur isn’t really long enough to knot much but it might clump.” 

Caduceus nodded in understanding and confirmation, turning to retrieve the two soft bristled brushes he used to keep his fur in check. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to tugging them across still sensitive skin. 

“Could we do me first?” Beau cut in, glancing between her companions as she tugged the tie from her hair. “I don’t think it’ll take long and we can see how it works.” 

Fingers tugging through thick brown hair, Jester rose on her toes to peer thoughtfully at Beau’s head. After a moment she nodded and grinned. 

“Yeah, this won’t take long. Do you have a brush or something?” She asked, snapping the fan open with all the flare of a lady who’d done it a thousand times before. 

Beau groaned and did her best to run her fingers through her hair too, snagging on several knots. 

“No,” she grumbled. 

Caduceus quietly passed her the smaller of his two brushes and she frowned thoughtfully, running her fingers over the soft, flexible bristles. 

“This is the weirdest brush I ever saw,” she said almost to herself, then shot Caduceus a broad grin. “Thanks!” 

“It’s gentle on tangles,” the firbolg explained, stroking his fingers across the other brush. Beau made a slow noise of understanding and Jester tugged the brush gently from her hand. 

“Okay, come see Caduceus, I’ll show you how it works.” The ease with which she flipped Beau’s hair out and began stroking the brush gently down it showed how many times she’d done this before, likely with her mother. She seemed more settled, almost meditative, than Caduceus had ever seen her before. 

Being home, doing familiar things, all helped to blunt the almost manic edge her cheerfulness had held for as long as he’d known her. That she was sharing them with new friends only seemed to help. It made him long for home, for that same consistency and certainty the Blooming Grove had always held. 

But even home wasn’t home anymore. Not without Clarabelle, Calliope, hell even Colton. It wasn’t home without his family, and his family and his home needed him out here. 

He had to wonder what had made Jester change. What had forced her out of this home she loved so much. 

Dismissing those thoughts, Caduceus moved around obediently to watch as she snapped the fan open again, giving it a short, neat wave at the long hair as it spilled across the brush. A wave of heat made Beau jump a little but she kept the impulse to turn and look under control. 

Jester kept brushing, slowly and smoothly, the soft bristles gently untangling knots without tugging. She gave the fan expert little flicks as she brushed, waves of heat making strands of hair flap before dying down. In a matter of minutes Beau’s hair was dry and shiny, soft and smooth. 

Grinning broadly, Jester turned both fan and brush on Caduceus. 

“See what I mean? Your fur is shorter, so we can probably do it more quickly. But maybe we should brush you first? Or would it be easier once you’re dry?” She asked, brow furrowing suddenly as she considered the question. 

Glancing at his own wet fur, Caduceus shrugged. 

“It’s usually easier to brush once it’s dried. Could you brush while you dry it, like you did Beau’s?” He was almost asking himself more than either of the women; this spell was interesting, and he wasn’t really sure how it worked. 

Jester didn’t seem to know either, hesitating for a moment before shrugging happily and grinning up at him. 

“We can try! Let’s do your arm first so we can experiment and try things out!” 

**

It must have sounded very strange to the two in their other room. Snippets of conversation, usually when Jester got a little loud or excited. The occasional whoosh of the fan. 

Not really a whole lot to build on, especially without any of the preceding conversation. 

Not that it mattered to the three in their little room. Beau took the second brush from Caduceus readily enough, and with a little direction she and Jester almost managed to coordinate themselves. His short fur was already mostly dry, with most of the damp clinging just above the surface of his skin. 

Right where he’d notice it most but someone else might miss it, really. He’d wondered about that sometimes, especially when dealing with a fresh animal pelt. It made him wonder if, had his fur been thicker, he might have been able to trap a layer of air like an otter. 

That would have been very interesting, but even submersion in the sea hadn’t been any different from the bath at home. 

Caduceus had almost forgotten childhood dreams of swimming and diving with otters. They’d drifted just out of reach in the sea. 

But there had been... an unforeseen side effect of Marion’s fan. It might have been due to the brushing, but in a little more time than it had taken to do Beau’s full head, one of Caduceus’ forearms was dry. 

And fluffed to about twice its usual size. 

Jester let out a happy squeal, burying her fingers in thick, plush fur. 

“That’s so fucking cool Caduceus! You’re so soft!” 

Hardly able to believe it himself, Caduceus ran his own fingers through his fur. That soft fluffiness reminded him of thick fur beneath a longer layer which shed water like a shroud. A rare treat from a trader, so far from home. A soft smile found its way to his face unbidden. 

“Yeah,” he agreed softly, fingers tracing slowly over his arm. 

Jester and Beau hesitated for a moment, exchanging glances. Caduceus usually seemed... well, a little unfocused. Like he wasn’t really paying attention to the world, lost in his own thoughts. He seemed even more lost now with that warm, nostalgic smile, and neither really wanted to drag him back. 

Fortunately he snapped himself out of it, giving them each a smile that was really only marginally more focused. 

“I suppose now we do the rest of me?” He asked and Jester grinned. 

“Yeah! And then... can I have a hug? Like, a really big, squishy hug, while you’re all soft and fluffy?” 

“Like a naked hug?” Caduceus asked with a slight smile, most of his attention still on his fluffed fur. He couldn’t actually remember ever being this soft himself, though when Clarabelle was a baby she’d been soft as silk. 

They were all a bit rougher now that they’d grown up. 

Jester beamed up at him and nodded, already stepping closer to begin brushing his upper arm. 

“If you don’t mind, yeah,” she agreed happily. 

Caduceus considered it for a moment, trying to imagine why he’d mind a hug. A hot gust of air from the fan caught his attention instead and he sighed happily. 

“Yeah, a hug would be nice,” he decided, relaxing and holding out his arm to make it easier for her. 

Beau was hovering just out of range, a complicated look on her face for just a moment. Like she was... calculating? Like something was really, really tempting her. Finally she sighed in disappointment and stepped closer, bringing her own brush to bear. 

“You should probably sit down, Cad,” she said, sounding much more disappointed than the words would indicate. 

The firbolg hesitated for a moment, just slightly suspicious. 

“What else were you going to say?” He asked slowly. Beau sighed again. 

“I was wondering if Jess could hold me on her shoulders so I could brush your back, but it’s probably a dumb idea. Why, what were you guys talking about?” 

“Naked hugs!” Jester chirped happily as Caduceus moved quickly to sit on the low bench just inside the curtain. Before Jester could decide shoulder sitting was a great idea. 

Beau hesitated for just a second, that tempted look back on her face as she carefully began brushing his shoulder. 

“Yes?” Caduceus prompted, really hoping she wasn’t changing that decision. He had plenty of spells for the day, sure, but he’d rather not have to put someone’s bone back in. 

The human looked more awkward than he’d ever seen her, her gaze flitting across his body much more than it had while they’d all been bathing. She sucked in a deep breath like she was steeling herself for something scary. 

“Okay but where’s your junk?” She blurted all in a single breath. Almost too fast for Caduceus to understand and he leaned away a little like that’d help. Beau grimaced but pushed on, taking a step back herself. “I don’t wanna touch you anywhere you don’t want,” she explained quickly, folding her arms and scowling at the floor. 

Her dark skin had taken just a faint red tint around her cheeks. 

Jester’s shoulders were shaking with suppressed giggles. 

The explanation hadn’t helped. 

Caduceus blinked slowly, trying to work out where her mind was going. After a horribly awkward full minute of silence Jester had mercy on them both. 

“She doesn’t wanna touch your dick,” she explained with a snicker, expertly using fan and brush to dry his arm, “it’s kinda hard to see.” 

Comprehension slowly dawning, Caduceus looked down his own body. His pouch was obvious enough to him, the fur shorter and finer just between his legs. Then again, Caleb and Fjord had external dicks, so he could kinda see why she was confused. 

“He does have a dick,” Jester continued cheerfully, her attention shifting to Beau before she paused, returning to Caduceus. “Do you mind if I tell her?” 

She seemed to have a much better grasp on the whole conversation, and was clearly much more comfortable than either of the other two. It was a bit of a relief to be able to just nod and make it her problem. 

“Whatever will help,” he agreed, since he certainly wasn’t sure what was going on. Jester grinned and gave his shoulder a gentle tap with the fan, then turned back to Beau. 

“So basically it’s like a minotaur dick, it’s not gonna come out unless he needs to pee. It’s in the same place as normal so if you wanna be safe you could do a side hug?” 

The monk seemed happier with Jester’s explanation too, though her gaze did linger for a moment between his legs. Then she met his eyes again and shrugged. 

“If you’re cool, I’m cool?” She said almost like a question and Caduceus smiled, pleased to have that solved. He wasn’t exactly sure why it had been an issue, but was happy enough that it wasn’t anymore. 

Humans were weird. 

“I’m cool. So we’ll all have a hug?” He asked, just to be sure. He had to look over his shoulder to catch sight of Jester again as she’d moved around behind him. She bounced happily as he turned, giving her fan a series of quick flicks. 

“You’re going to be so soft, Caduceus,” she bubbled happily, her brush gliding gently across his fur. It felt lovely and he let himself relax back into that. 

Fingers running idly through the puffed fur on his arm, he paused. Frowned. 

“My clothes may not fit.” 

Back at his shoulder, Beau paused and followed his gaze down. His forearm was almost twice the size of his upper arm, even where Jester had been brushing. Cottoning on quickly the monk snickered and shook her head. 

“You’re pretty fucked, dude. Could we sorta... brush it back down?” 

Both clerics made soft, sad noises, and Beau rolled her eyes. Throwing up both hands she got back to brushing. 

“Just trying to help. Guess it’s not like you’ve really got anything showing anyway,” she grumbled through a grin. Caduceus grinned back as Jester moved on to his back. 

“Jester’s been running around naked all evening, I think I’ll be fine.” 

Jester stifled a laugh. 

“My Mama might give you a robe too if you do it too much,” she snickered, pausing and tapping her brush gently on the back of Caduceus’ head. “Should we do your hair too?” 

Reaching up to touch his wet hair, Caduceus hesitated a moment before nodding. 

“It would be nice.” 

Jester hesitated for a moment, chewing on her lip. Then she shook her head. 

“I’m just gonna stand on the bench I think. You’re way too tall,” she teased fondly, dropping a kiss on Caduceus’ temple as she climbed up. 

He raised a hand automatically to help steady her at the same time Beau did, but Jester ignored them both. She was sure on her feet and confident like she’d climbed a thousand benches, getting straight to work on his hair. After a moment Caduceus relaxed again, keeping his hand up in case she needed it but settling in as she brushed his hair. 

That kind of gentle, affectionate touch had been freely given for almost all of his life. Sometimes not so affectionate with his siblings, sure, and it had been... 

Fuck, it had been more than fifty years since someone else brushed his hair. Maybe a full century. It just wasn’t something he’d thought about when his family had been around. 

The fur, yes, they’d all help each other get knots out of their backs, back when it had been an option. But his hair... he’d been easily able to take care of it himself. 

It was soothing in ways that he hadn’t expected, the steady rhythm combining with that lovely hot air that melted him into a happy pool of firbolg. 

The women were talking around him, their voices low as they carefully brushed his fur. He let them move him as needed, let them stand him up to brush his legs for him. It was absolutely lovely, and he had the vague suspicion that this was one of the services that the Lavish Chateau offered their patrons. 

It would explain such an extensive bathing hall. 

He was brought back from his musings by a sharp tap on his hip. It made him dimly aware of several gentler taps before it, and then Jester called his name. 

“Hey, Caduceus! It’s just your butt and your grundle left, do you want me to get those too or do you wanna brush it?” She asked cheerfully, fingertips tapping a gentle pattern on her brush. 

A little surprised to be asked, Caduceus took the brush. 

“I can probably do my butt if you keep doing the fan?” He offered, a little surprised when he looked down and saw his whole body fluffed. He just... let himself drift a little too much, and hadn’t really noticed much beyond the warm caress of air. 

A small smile spread across his face as he smoothed his hands down his thighs. 

“I’m so soft,” he declared happily. He felt completely dry, and it was absolutely decadent. Dry, warm, and completely relaxed for the first time in what must have been years. Looking to the fan, his smile spread. “I need one of those.” 

Jester laughed, skipping around him to send a waft of hot air across his butt. 

“You really do! This is so cool!” Her tail coiled around his thigh, squeezing and completely disappearing into plush, thick fur. Beau snorted a laugh, poking Caduceus’ hip and losing her finger to the second knuckle. 

“You look like a sheep,” she snickered and Caduceus laughed. 

“A really long sheep,” he agreed, arms running up is chest and torso. 

“A sheep who needs a booty!” Jester cackled, giving his ass another blast of hot air. Remembering what he was supposed to be doing, Caduceus began brushing his butt carefully. 

He’d been paying... maybe a tiny bit of attention to how they’d brushed him, and there didn’t seem to be a lot of technique to it. His butt fur was a little flatter from where he’d been sat on it, but now that he was standing it fluffed right up. Turning a couple of times he tried to take a look at what Jester was giggling at, sending her into full out laughter. 

Beau started snickering as he spun, falling back into the wall. 

“Dude, we gotta get you to a mirror... you look like a fuckin’ teddy bear!” 

Dropping the fan back onto its box, Jester clapped happily and tackled him. 

“Oooooh, you feel like a teddy bear too,” she said with a happy sigh, burying her face in soft stomach fur. It felt like being hugged through six coats. 

Caduceus couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping his arms around her and squeezing tightly, which of course made her squeeze him in return. Plush fur cushioned the squeeze, squishing almost two inches before meeting flesh. Jester cackled in delight, lifting Caduceus off his feet and twisting back and forth. 

“Ooooooh, Caduceus! This is the best thing ever! Pleeeeeeease come sleep in my room tonight? The bed’s not as big as yours but we can cuddle up!” 

The sudden lift was a little disorienting and Cad had to clutch at her shoulders for balance, but he couldn’t stop laughing. It was just... so nice to be held again. His fur had never felt so soft, so puffed, part of him (the part that sounded like Calliope) was quietly sure he looked absolutely ridiculous but he didn’t care. 

He’d left the only home he’d ever known, gone directly to the largest city he’d ever seen, and now he’d seen the whole ocean. He was in another city that was also bigger than Shady Creek Run, in the biggest and fanciest inn he could ever even have imagined. 

And he wasn’t alone anymore. 

He’d made new friends, and they were even stranger than everything else. But they were good people as far as he understood them. A little unbalanced, but they’d been through a lot themselves, and they all seemed to balance together. 

And he was fluffier than he’d ever been before, and it was the best he’d felt in decades. 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: There is a sequel to this where the rest of the Nein get to experience blow dried firbolg, which should be done soon! Wish me luck!


End file.
